Product Description

Debut solo album from former Lemonheads songwriter Dando features contributions from longstanding partner Tom Morgan, of Australian band Smudge, as well as Ben Lee and Jon Brion. After the The Lemonheads split and his recovery from well documented drug problems 'Baby I'm Bored' sounds like the reawakening of Dando's talent and a return to the form shown on The Lemonheads 'It's A Shame About Ray'.

Track Listing

1. Repeat
2. My Idea
3. Rancho Santa Fe
4. Waking Up
5. Hard Drive
6. Shots Is Fired
7. It Looks Like You
8. The Same Thing
9. Why Do You Do This To Yourself?
10. All My Life
11. Stop My Head
12. In The Grass All Wine Colored

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33553 in Music
• Released on: 2003-03-17
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
In his thirties and no longer the poster boy of the post-grunge generation, Evan Dando returns a wiser and seemingly chastened man on Baby I'm Bored, his first studio album since the Lemonheads' 1996 finale Car Button Cloth. It's well documented that the late 1990s were difficult years for the singer as, narcotic-addicted, he struggled to locate his muse and motivation. It's heartening, then, that he has returned with a set of such genuinely lovely songs. Visceral, vital and yearning, Baby I'm Bored boasts a wealth of gems. The opener, "Repeat", is vulnerable and touched with intimations of mortality, yet quietly resolute; "It Looks Like You" is as spectral and plangent as the Byrds; "Hard Drive" even rehabilitates that widely despised genre, the list song.

However, the ambience isn't always so positivist. "The Same Thing" hints darkly at mental turmoil endured ("I can't believe how far I slipped") while "Why Do You Do This to Yourself?" berates a kamikaze party animal over the most muted of acoustic strums. So, is this Dando's autobiographical meisterwerk? Well, if it is, there is resolution: "All My Life" gratefully delineates newer, sounder perspectives ("All my life I thought I needed / The things I didn't need at all") while the giddy, bucolic closer "In the Grass All Wine Colored" sounds as pristine and pure as a baby's conscience. Members of Calexico, Giant Sand, Come and Spacehog chip in their support on the album but the focus is fully on Dando, an artist reborn, restored and--palpably--far from bored. --Ian Gittins

Customer Reviews

used to be my favorite album
when i first bought it i used to play it all time. what toppled it from that position was the fact i listened to couple of neil young albums like 'silver and gold' and 'harvest'.although they could not compete in the tunes department they seemed to have more feeling. so i stopped listening for a while but recently i have fallen in love with it again. the first five tracks flow into one another like few other albums. some of the songs are heartbreakingly honest like 'all my life'. every word in that song is true. best time to listen to that song is in a room full of stuff you bought and did not need as well as having done something you did not need to do. i think it is a futur classic

Understated Genius
Whilst this album is by no means perfect - we could have done with a few more songs ( although those familiar with the Lemonheads will know of Dando's penchant for short songs on short albums ), and a couple of the more experimental tracks fall a little flat - it is certainly worth a look. Upon first listen the album is slightly underwhelming but persevere, it really is a grower.

Evan Dando's voice is as beautiful as ever, well suited to slightly more mellow style of this offering, and the consruction of the backing quickly dispells any initial obsevations of simplicity. This is an album which as you listen to more and more you will find yourself noticing another perfect interplay between two barely audible guitar tracks, or a great chord change and so on. As mentioned above the several guest artists all lend something to the unique sound - not least the boys from Calexico who give "Hard Drive" ( my personal favourite ) written by long time Dando admirer Ben Lee, a brilliant swing and great bassline.

Theres also a good level of emotion invested in the album - such as the slighlty discordant "Rancho Santa Fe" and the haunting verses of "The Same Thing...", which shines through the general warmth of the record. A mention must also be given to seeing Dando perform these songs - live his voice is, if anything, even better than on record and he has such charisma that it'd probably be a pleasure to watch him playing anything. Really try to see him to put these songs into context.

All in all, an album you may not be entirely sure why you like so much when you haven't heard it for a while, but one that worms into your psyche a little more with each listen. Well worth the effort.

Genius!
Welcome back Evan! An absolute gem of a record, Iv been waiting for this record for so many years and was preparing myself to be disappointed. Every song is pure Evan Dando genuis, "My Idea", "Hard Drive", "All My Life" all brilliant melodies and heartfelt confessionals. This collection of songs is such a shot in the arm for todays "I hate my Dad" bands and shows you dont have to scream and deafen to get your point across when you can say it slowly and meaningfully.
Welcome back Evan you've been sorely missed!